Recommendation Letters
I happily write many recommendation letters each year and have learned by trial and error just what it takes to write a good letter and to keep the process moving in an orderly way. A very large number of people I write for each year seem to get admitted to prestigious places and win out in scholarship competitions. While that is mostly a result of the quality of the people for whom I write, having sufficient materials for a good letter also helps. If you follow these instructions I will more likely be able to write the specific, personalized recommendation letter that will maximize your chances of success.
I am generally willing to write for people who have taken at least two courses from me and maintained an A- average or above. Less than two courses and I really do not have enough experience of a person to write.
A note for Fall 2005: I am on sabbatical leave this year, and while I will still gladly write recommendation letters for people, it would be most convenient for me to do so after November 10th, when I return from Europe. If you need to have your recommendation letter before then I shall have to send an electronic copy to whichever letter service you use (see below).
You should send your materials by me as an electronic attachment to an e-mail. Please try to send everything at the same time
1. The most important thing I need from you is a list of what makes you special; an introduction to your intellectual interests, your extracurricular activities, the skills and experiences that make you stand out from your fellow students. Let me know the things that make you worth recommending so that I can pass these on to the people you want to impress.
Generalities are less helpful than specifics. "I have a passion for learning" is much less useful than "I took honors sections in X number of classes and read the complete works of Leo Tolstoy during my summer vacations." "I have a passion for community service" is less help than a specific list of the organizations you belonged to and the things you did.
2. Send along a copy of your transcripts. These can be downloaded from URSA -- official copies are not necessary.
3. Pay careful attention to all the forms that you are sending. Make sure that all waivers are signed on all forms that have waivers. I will not write recommendation letters unless confidentiality is preserved and I will not go chasing after students who have not signed their waivers to get them to sign them, so if your waivers are not signed I will not send your letter.
Also, please make sure that all envelopes are addressed and stamped. Generally recommendation letters are not given back to students to send on with their packets, but are sent directly to the admissions office or reference letter service. This, again, is to preserve confidentiality.
In general, please try to make it as easy as possible for me to write you your letters. I have many dozen letters to write each year, they eat up a lot of time, and I greatly appreciate it when I am not caused extra difficulties.
4. If you have a personal statement please include it. It will be one more way of me getting details that will help me write you a good letter. If it has been awhile since we had a class together you might also want to include a photo, (or a photocopy of a photo), so that I can have you more closely in mind as I write for you.
5. Include a writing sample that you think represents you at your best. Please also include an essay you wrote for one of my classes, preferably one that I have marked up or a TA has marked up.
6. Include a brief note detailing the exact dates on which the letters should be mailed. On that note make sure you put down a telephone number where I can reach you when I am writing your letters in case anything comes up. If you have several numbers please include them all.
7. If you require letters to be sent to a number of different law schools or graduate programs then you should sign up to a service which will handle this for you such as the Law Schools Admissions Council (http://www.lsac.org/) or the recommendation service at the UCLA career center ( http://career.ucla.edu/LOR/). They will keep a copy of your letter on hand and will send it out to the various universities you list. I cannot send out letters directly to all the different universities people apply to – it is far too time-consuming.
You can mail your materials to me care of the political science department. If you want your materials back please include an appropriate size envelope with sufficient postage. Otherwise your materials will be put in the recycling bin the minute your letter is written. (I’ll keep the photo as a souvenir).
It doesn’t hurt to drop a reminder e-mail a few days before your letters are due to be sent, just in case.
Please pay careful attention to all the foregoing instructions. I know that accumulating these materials is a bother, but doing so will help me help you, and you can use the same materials for other purposes. The more material I have, and the higher the quality of that material, the easier it is for me to be vivid and engaging in my letter on your behalf.
Good luck with everything,
Brian Walker
PS. I cannot commit to writing recommendation letters until I have read over your entire file. It is my duty to be honest and truthful in my evaluations and if your marks or written work do not allow me to be completely positive about you it is better that I not write at all.